Delivery of several meals Services are supposed to make your life easier. And they do, once you choose one. But with the rapid expansion of the service industry in recent years, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the options. Whether you’re a vegetarian, cooking for a family of six, or just looking to find your legs in the kitchen, there’s likely a service that meets your needs. Some meal kits send you prepared meals, others send ingredients along with recipes, and others are grocery delivery services. They all aim to make the process of planning and cooking meals more convenient, and how well they do so varies.
I’ve tested more than two dozen meal kit delivery services over the past few years, and I’ve retested several of them in this guide to ensure accuracy. A few are downright bad, so choosing the right one for you comes down to lifestyle. I’m an experienced home cook, with no dietary restrictions or picky food preferences, but I have looked for vegetarian meals along with more carnivorous options. I’ve also gotten taste-testing help from lifelong vegans, fussy kids, and my cat (by coincidence). Taking into account recipes, ingredients and ease of use, Quantity of packaging wasteAnd since every home cook has different needs, you’ll find the best meal delivery services below.
Updated January 2025: We’ve added new Gardencup and photos of Gobble, as well as well-verified links and prices.
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price: Despite any marketing claims to the contrary, meal kits cost more than buying groceries. However, it is usually less expensive than eating out and healthier. If you want to gauge whether the trade-off is worth it, the good news is largely that Arranged in a box Companies, usually have meal kit companies some Run promotions. Most meal kit pricing models offer deep discounts: the more meals you buy per week, the lower the price per meal. We’ll go into detail about dietary restrictions and subscription costs below. If you want to skip a week or cancel, you can find this information in the account section of the website for your chosen service.
Wired: Meal kits are convenient; I didn’t have to worry about planning dinner, grocery shopping, or panic-eating junk food after forgetting to eat a proper meal during the day. Learning to cook with one of the best meal delivery services can instill confidence and impart essential knowledge. If you’re busy, or can’t be bothered, meal kits might be just what you need to cook with, and cooking at home isn’t a bad thing at all. Meal kits may be right for you if you’re cooking for a small family, if you work unconventional hours, if you hate knowing what to make for dinner, if you want to stop ordering all the time, or if you’re trying to develop your cooking skills.
exhausted: Nothing beats learning how to cook the old-fashioned way, so be sure to try that too. It’s cheaper and you’ll learn more if you pick the fruit yourself or break up a whole chicken for $5. Simply you Don’t get that experience If everything arrives at your door and the chicken parts come pre-packaged. Planning and grocery shopping are an integral part of the art of cooking. Meal kits are also generally more wasteful than traditional home cooking, and are often more expensive. Meal kits may be the wrong choice for you if you’re on a tight budget, if you’re cooking for a large family, or if you want stricter control over the specific ingredients you’ll use.
What if I have allergies, follow a specific diet, or go on vacation a lot?
Maybe you’re covered. Most meal kit services have a way to filter out common allergens or dietary preferences, and most recipes have specific nutritional information listed so you’re always in the know. And if you travel a lot, it’s usually easy to head into your account settings and skip a week, pause your plan, or cancel it entirely. These factors vary by service, but we’ve included some details below.
For each serving below, I tested at least three servings, following the recipe instructions exactly. I made them mostly for dinner and prioritized testing a mix of proteins and the cooking skills required (for example, testing a one-pan meal as well as a more complex protein, side dish, and sauce meal). I aimed to test a variety of dishes that would appeal to many people, including vegetarian options and meals that could be prepared quickly for a family versus meals that might be suitable for a night at home.
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